


Insult & Injury

by ineedagoodusername



Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: Boys In Love, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Fencing, Injury, M/M, Rivals to Lovers, Sports
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedagoodusername/pseuds/ineedagoodusername
Summary: Due to a lot of practice with terrible technique. Nicholas developed “fencer’s elbow” and needed extra help during recovery time.Unfortunately, Seiji was tasked to be the one to offer extra help.
Relationships: Nicholas Cox/Seiji Katayama
Comments: 25
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Waddup Fence fandom! The universe is conspiring against me because yet another day has passed and I STILL do not have a copy of Volume 4 in my hands, even though I pre-ordered it. *screeches*
> 
> Anyways, here's an injury and recovery fic. I based this off of an RSI that I'm actually currently recovering from, so some of the advice here was sort of mirrored off that. Please do not take any medical advice from this fic, as I am not a licensed medical professional! I'm just a huge, injured NERD.

It started with a strange, sharp pain around his left elbow one day.

Nicholas Cox was a teenager who prided himself in a high pain tolerance, so he promptly chose to ignore the soreness. After all, he did tend to bust his lip (or eye, or jaw, or any other part of his body, for that matter) when he got into brawls with other teen gangs in his old school. Pain was something to be expected when one frequently got into fights.

He also worked the weirdest odd jobs that demanded hard physical labor. Even Coach Joe would say that hard work made a kid into a man. Occasional arm aches from hours of heavy duty cleaning and lifting always went away.

So, obviously, he ignored it.

Unlike the other pains that he did experience, though, Nicholas noticed that this pain didn’t seem to go away permanently. It seemed to always radiate around his elbow, and sometimes stretch down to his forearms, especially during really hard training sessions on the strip.

He had an inkling that it could have been an injury, but scholarships didn’t care for boo-boos, only for gold medals and first places. Every drop of blood, sweat, and tears got him to Kings Row Boys School, and that scholarship was the only thing getting him to stay. 

There was no way in hell he was going to be giving up the reserve spot just because of a stupid ache in his elbow. 

Most of all, there was no way a tiny pain was going to stop him from beating fencing prodigy and certified asshole of a rival,and sort of friend, Seiji Katayama.

Sadly, the thing about pain is that it's the body’s natural way of telling you something is very wrong. As inconvenient as it was, pain had its way of making itself known.

“Are you okay, Nick?” asked his friend, Bobby, once, during a study session at the library. 

“Huh?” 

The freshman had come out of his thoughts about his arm extensions, which Coach Williams had commented on several times about how terrible they were. Blinking, the teenager was looking at the furrowed brow of his feminine-looking friend.

“Is there something wrong with your elbow?” asked the shorter boy, brown pig-tails bouncing slightly as he pointed at Nicholas’ arms. “I notice that you press on it a lot during class or when we practice a bit at the gym.”

“Oh, um,” The brunet glanced at his elbow, and then at the face of his shorter friend. “It’s a bit sore. Nothing to worry about though.”

Bobby scrunched up his face a little, looking like one of those cute anime characters. “I don’t know, Nicholas… You might need to want to go to the infirmary for it.”

“Nah. It’s cool. No pain, no game, right?”

Saying nothing, the shorter brunet just offered a worried smile. 

“Sure thing, then! I hope you feel better.”

\---

A few days later, his elbow began complaining again. This time, it was during quality time with The Boys in Eugene’s room. The Labao clan had decided to pull together the ultimate care package that had ever entered the Castello dorms, and that was including the hundreds of boxes that Kally’s family loved sending regularly. 

Colors decorated the entire room that night, with bright reds, purples, and deep blues. The only sounds louder than the crinkling of shiny wrappers and dull thunks of boxes being moved around were the delighted cries of the boys as they dug through the interesting blend of Filipino and American treats.

“Shiiiiiiiiit,” yelled Eugene excitedly, as he held up a row of connected rectangular, brown and white colored foil packets. “ _ Mik-Mik _ ! This was my jam as a kid!”

“Mick-Mick,” said Tanner, echoing Eugene’s pronunciation horribly. It caused the others to cackle at the feigned grimace on the junior’s face.

“Sweetened milk powder,” read Kally, holding the hinge of his round glasses as he skimmed through the fine print at the other end of the sachet train. “I’m assuming this is a hot chocolate milk drink?”

“Nope! You take this tiny straw and suck up the powder.” explained Eugene.

“Wait… what?” asked Tanner and Kally, simultaneously.

“Yeah,” The Filipino-American teenager grinned at everyone in the room. “Think of it like cocaine, except it's chocolate flavored and you eat it.”

“Wait, you snort this stuff?” asked Tanner.

“You can eat cocaine?” gasped Bobby, mouth agape.

“Cocaine has a chocolate flavor? Wild.” snickered Nicholas.

“Guys,” sighed Harvard, shaking his head, as Eugene began chortling alongside Nicholas. “Can we keep everything in this room legal. Please.”

Laughing loudly, the group had fun as Eugene shared his incredible display of snacks with the other boys, explaining the more foreign ones. There were some normal-looking goods, like instant noodles and cheese-flavored chips, but there were also some interesting things that Nicholas had never seen.

“Here, Nick!” said Eugene cheerfully, throwing a small packet of brown, sugared fruit candies at Nicholas. He had already forgotten the name of it, but apparently it was a sour, brown fruit that mostly grew in Asia. Also, he had a sneaking suspicion that Eugene wasn’t too fond of it himself. “You look like a fellow who enjoys exotic stuff.”

“Sure man,” retorted Nicholas good-naturedly. “A diet of cheeseburgers is obviously an adventuro- ow!”

As he had caught the bag of sweets mid-air, a sharp pain shot down Nicholas’ arm, causing him to wince. It immediately caught the attention of the other boys in the room, with Kally almost immediately taking charge as mother hen.

“You okay, Nicholas?” He asked, lips pursing slightly as Nicholas quickly pressed down hard on the sore spot at his elbow. Classic Kally, ready to pull out an aspirin and a band-aid as soon as someone even mentioned the word pain. “Did you need me to take you to the clinic?”

“It’s okay, Kally. I’m good!” said the brunet. 

He inwardly cursed himself for drawing attention to his elbow. It was just a stupid arm ache.

“Did you hurt yourself during practice?” asked Harvard, brows furrowing. “If so, you might need to take a break-”

“No!” 

\---

Finally, Nicholas’ elbow decided to start screaming “NOTICE ME”. By then, it was getting more difficult for the teenager to really give it his all during fencing matches. It had really been stressful, since not just exams were approaching, but also the regionals of the season.

Though his speed and reflexes had helped him immensely in masking the fact that his arm was weighing him down, Nicholas couldn’t hide the injury. What really sucked was that his arm decided to act up during a match with  _ Seiji _ .

**Clang** .

“Shit!” hissed the brunet.

Dropping his blade, Nicholas found himself frozen as the metallic clang echoed in his ears. He was unable to grip the handle of the epee sword long enough to parry because of the shooting pain.

“Timeout!” called Coach Williams, striding towards their strip. Her authoritative voice echoed throughout the gym. To Nicholas’ horror, it had also stopped the sounds of all the other boys playing a match in the area. 

Also, Seiji was glaring at him. Well, Nicholas figured that Seiji was glaring from underneath the mesh mask, based off his stance and grip on his sword.

“Looks like you might have an overuse injury- fencer’s elbow, to be precise. It happens a lot.” said Coach Williams briskly, after asking Nicholas questions about his left arm. “Given that Seiji hasn’t landed any hits near your elbow today. Practice is done for you today, Nicholas. Go to the clinic, now.”

“B-But regionals-!”

“Clinic. Go. Now.” Coach Williams said. She was never one to bullshit. “Think of it this way, if you were to sustain a worse injury than this, you might not be able to play for the rest of the season. Or for the rest of your life.”

Nicholas promptly shut up after that. Not playing for the rest of the season was unacceptable, let alone for the  _ rest of his life _ . It wouldn’t just cost him the season, but also his scholarship. 

What would Robert Coste think?

His father would never be able to acknowledge him as a worthy son, if he got permanently disabled by the injury. 

“Okay, coach.” muttered the brunet.

“Make sure you get some ice on that left arm as soon as you get to the infirmary.” instructed the coach, as Nicholas dejectedly stepped off the strip. “And why did everyone stop practicing? Get back to fencing!”

Immediately, the other boys stopped staring at the spectacle, and got back to training. However, the injured teen could see the concerned waves of his friends from their strips, as they resumed their stances.

“Seiji, before I set you up with someone else for a match,” He caught the voice of Coach Williams, just as he was about to exit the gym. “I need to speak with you.”

_ Ugh _ , thought Nicholas bitterly,  _ talk about lucky prodigy. At least you don’t have an injury. _

\---

After an excruciating visit to the infirmary, where Nicholas had been poked, prodded, and chided, he was allowed to go back to his room in Castello. 

“What a pain,” complained the teenager, as he lay face up on his bed.

Dr Reyes, the school doctor had assessed that it was an overuse injury. Tendonitis of the elbow. She had his arm iced for ten minutes, and advised him to see a physiotherapist, as sports injury help was more specialized. She also suggested perhaps buy an elbow brace to help him during school work.

Since Nicholas had no money to see a specialist or get proper sports medical gear, he asked for other options.

“You can ask your coach. The Fencing Team might have some resources for you.” said the doctor, pale grey eyes flashing. She had a quiet, intimidating aura that made Nicholas nervous. “However, there is one thing you absolutely have to do, and this requirement costs nothing.”

“And that is…?” asked Nicholas, feeling dread grow in the pit of his stomach.

“No practice for at least a week.”

“A week!?”

“Yes,” She had nodded, tucking a lock of her salt and pepper hair behind her ear. “I can also advise your teachers and Coach Williams regarding the recovery time, since you’re left-handed and activities like writing and other repetitive motions might aggravate the pain. Do you have a family physician, Mr Cox?”

He shook his head. Internally, Nicholas was just as shook.

“I expect to see you next week for a follow-up, then.” said Dr Reyes, typing away some notes onto her computer. “But yes. If you want to avoid further injury, do not practice fencing for the next week. Also, when you get back to your room, just lie down and try to avoid using your arms for the rest of the evening.”

Groaning into his pillow, Nicholas decided that it was a shitty day. 

Mind racing, he wondered anxiously about what was going to happen. Were they going to kick him off the team? Was he going to be set back a lot by missing a week of practicing? What was going to happen if his elbow didn’t recover in a week? What was he going to do then?

Heck, what was he going to do now?

In the midst of his worrying, Nicholas almost jumped when a smooth, curt voice cut through his thoughts.

“You still tense your shoulders.”

Opening his eyes, the brunet saw the dark eyes of Seiji staring into his soul. 

“What?” He asked, incredulously.

“You still tense your shoulders.” repeated the dark-haired teen. He moved to his portion of the room, and Nicholas heard the thud of a sports bag hitting the surface of his bed. “Even now, as you’re lying down. Like, how are you even doing that?”

“Listen, Seiji, I’m injured and too broke to afford physical therapy or even the elbow brace thingamajig that the doctor prescribed.” replied Nicholas, annoyed. “And now, I can’t go to practice for a week. Do you  _ have _ to rub salt to my wounds?”

“I’m saying this because it might have helped aggravate your elbow!” snapped Seiji.

Frowning, Nicholas resisted the urge to unglue his arms from his sides and chuck his pillow at the other teen. Although their relationship had gotten considerably better since they had first found out they were roommates, he still found Seiji to be very arrogant and tactless a lot. Sure, the tips he gave were helpful and on-point, but would it kill him to be a little nicer?

It was annoying, but at least it made him imperfect.

“How was practice?” sighed the brunet, listening to the sounds of Seiji unzipping his bag and working through the items inside.

“It was okay.”

“Very descriptive, Seiji.”

“What did you want me to say?” huffed Seiji. “You complain when I comment on Harvard’s low lines, or Eugene’s tendency to be unpredictable on the landing strip. Don’t get me started on your terrible technique.”

“Gee, I dunno… maybe talk about normal stuff?”

“Like what?”

“Dude, I don’t know, maybe like…” Nicholas racked his brains for an idle topic. “Oh! What’s your favorite thing to eat? And don’t say it’s a protein shake or green smoothie. I call bull on that. You may be a prodigy, but I know deep down, there’s a human boy there.”   
  


There was an awkward silence. It sparked curiosity in the brunet, almost tempting him to disobey the doctor’s orders and use an arm to push aside the cheap partition they had set up in between them.

“Seiji?” quipped Nicholas.

“Yes.”

“Please don’t tell me your favorite food is actually protein shakes. Please.”

“What? No!” barked the Japanese teen. “I’m not a total monster. It’s...um. Embarrassing.”

Nicholas sat up immediately, feeling a slight twinge in his left elbow. “Embarrassing? How is food embarrassing?”

“Um,” Nicholas could practically hear the other teen blushing through his words. “It’s… I like ice cream, okay?

“Oh. Yeah. Ice cream isn’t bad.” said Nicholas, blinking. He began to laugh. “Rocky road ice cream after hours of training? Sign me the hell up!”

“I prefer sundaes. Triple fudge sundaes, with whipped cream and sprinkles.” admitted Seiji quietly, sounding mortified.

This time Nicholas disobeyed the doctor’s orders, and lifted the bathroom curtain separating them. He just had to see the conversation he was having with Seiji, to reaffirm the conversation he was hearing with his own ears.

Face flushed red, Seiji glared at Nicholas. He instantly shielded his face with a white sleeve of his fencing uniform.

“Stop looking at me like that!” cried the teen, cheeks peachy pink. 

As much as Nicholas hated to admit it, Seiji looked adorable when he was embarrassed. The sight of his roommate caused Nicholas to also drop the curtain and look away, feeling heat rise up to his own face.

“It’s not a bad thing to like ice cream sundaes.” said the injured boy gently, as he sat back on his bed. “I just didn’t expect you to be someone to like them.”

“Coach Dmytro disapproves.” replied the dark-haired boy gingerly. “Too many calories. The sugar and fat isn’t good for the body, anyway.”

“Oh, but it nourishes the soul~” 

“Shut it, Nicholas.”

To Nicholas’ surprise, Seiji suddenly walked to his side of the room. Even though it was just a few steps, somehow having the other boy in his space felt awkward and vulnerable. Not to mention, the dark-haired boy had a fiercely determined look in his eyes and a weird, unidentified black strap on his hand.

“Uh, Seiji-” began the brunet.

“Which spot of your left elbow hurts right now?” asked Seiji. Direct, as per usual.

Jaw on the floor, Nicholas stared at the other boy, who was now, leaning over him. All of a sudden, he forgot that the other boy was his rival and was as arrogant as he was pretty. All he could focus on was the dark eyes and the perfectly-styled hair. Christ, he was too close!

Seiji Katayama was in his personal space. Seiji Katayama, pretty hair and all. What the fuck. He was also holding a black strip of cloth, and suddenly Nicholas felt nervous.

“Well?” said the dark-haired teen, narrowing his eyes slightly as he frowned.

Pointing at his inner elbow, Nicholas muttered, “Um, it’s sharp around this spot. What are you doing-!”

Before the brown-haired teenager could say anymore, his roommate pulled at the end of the black band, releasing the crunching sound of Velcro pulling apart. Then, he loosened it up to form a huge circle.

“Extend your arm out. Gently.” instructed Seiji.

Too stunned to protest, Nicholas could only stare at the other boy as he held out his arm. It was like his body just moved on his own. He watched as the dark-haired teen placed the circular band through his arm, placing a firm part of the gear on the sore spot that was bothering Nicholas. 

Though the other teen’s arms looked pale and delicate, they worked with a sharp precision that matched his aim when on the landing strip.

Seiji honestly looked handsome as hell.

“Is this okay?” He asked, as he pulled the strap to tighten.

Nicholas could only nod, feeling the pressure of the band on the sore spot on his left elbow. In a way, he actually felt a little relief from that hard bit in the strap of cloth. It was just like when he would press down on the elbow prior getting sent to the clinic.

“Hey Seiji?” said Nicholas, awkwardly. “What’s this again?”

“Oh. It’s an elbow brace.” explained Seiji, suddenly interested in viewing the rubber ducks on the bathroom curtain that divided their room. “It’s helpful for easing the pressure on your elbows during repetitive movements. Wear it every time you type, write, or do anything repetitive with your left arm, but not to sleep.”

“But i-it’s not mine!”

“Well, yeah, that’s because it’s mine.”

“I can’t use this, then!” cried out Nicholas, refusing to believe that Seiji Katayama was being nice. “What if you need it?”

“Do I look injured to you, right now?”

“But it’s  _ yours _ !”

Exasperated, the dark-haired teen threw his hands up in the air. “Stop being stubborn and keep it, Zero. Didn’t you say you were too broke to get one?” He snapped, stomping back to his part of the room. “Just get better!”

Dumbfounded, Nicholas registered what was going on in the present time. Seiji had gotten him an elbow brace. Seiji had told him to keep said elbow brace. The same Seiji Katayama who continues to call him Zero, and refuses to see him as a proper rival.

Somehow, the concept made Nicholas feel rather giddy, There was something oddly endearing about his roommate being angry at him yet still giving him a rather expensive brace to help him with his injury.

“Aww, Seiji!” cooed Nicholas teasingly, running his hands on the rough exterior of the black elbow brace wrapped on his left arm. “I can’t believe you care about me!”

“Nicholas Cox, shut up.”

“But you got me a brace! And you even told me to get better~”

“Our team will suffer if you don’t recover properly.” retorted the dark-haired teen, from his side of the room. His tone was back to its usual cold, blunt tone. “Besides, Coach Williams instructed me to be your buddy this entire week.”

Laughing, Nicholas said, “I can’t believe underneath that mean exterior you have a h- wait, what did Coach say?”

“Coach Williams asked me to be your buddy. To be specific, she said I have to help you ‘be your arms’ throughout the week.” The words almost seethed out of the other teen.

There was a pause, as Nicholas digested the words.

“WHAT?” shouted Nicholas.

“Oh, trust me, I would have been the last person to sign up for the job.” said Seiji, through gritted teeth. “She told me that you’d most likely try to practice anyways, and we needed to have someone stop you from rebelling. Also, the extra help can speed up your recovery time.”

Running calculations that made no sense in his head, Nicholas tried hard to fathom the situation. Coach Williams asked the team member with the longest stick up his backside to babysit him. Why on earth would Seiji Katayama ever agree to such a thing? The dark-haired teenager didn’t care about Nicholas at all!

Suddenly, the injured teenager remembered the elbow brace hugging his arm. Well, Seiji didn’t completely  _ not care _ . But definitely he wasn’t the type to mother people, like Kally, or check in as a leader, like Harvard.

“WHY?” 

A deep inhale. “For the team.”

_ For the team _ . 

That definitely shut Nicholas up. He considered it seriously, albeit grudgingly. In fairness, the brunet really was the type to not follow orders. Coach Williams wasn’t wrong in thinking that he was probably going to try and fence through the pain. That would affect the team. 

If the team didn’t get to do well in regionals, then they wouldn’t get to nationals. Without nationals, they wouldn’t face off Exton.

They wouldn’t be able to face off Jesse Coste.

Puzzle pieces falling into place, Nicholas glared at the ceiling and irritatedly, removed the band on his left arm. Now, he was going to have to face an entire seven days without practicing fencing, and keep up the schoolwork.

A sigh escaped him. It was going to be a very, very long week. 

To add insult to injury, it was going to be a long week with Seiji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tuesday and Wednesday happen with Nicholas and Seiji glued together at the hip because of his left arm being hurt.
> 
> Ever so slowly, Nicholas finds out more about his roommate and friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever and a day because life is hard, and I'm exhausted. 
> 
> I'm planning to write more chapters since this story is evolving before my very eyes, despite me creating a whole outline. It might end up revolving around each day or two of the week, to really get into the detail of their evolving relationship a little more.

Nicholas had begged to see Coach Williams that early Tuesday morning, despite her initial protests about his arms. However, he did have a stubborn reputation. After all, a scholarship and regionals were on the line.

“It happens,” is all she said, when Nicholas provided the slip of paper with a doctor’s illegible scrawl to the older woman. 

The lines on her forehead deepened as she listened to the brunet inform her about the horrifying instructions Dr Reyes had given him. Out of the corner of his eye, Nicholas could see Seiji practicing with his own personal coach. Enviously, he wished he could use his arms the way the black-haired boy could, precisely and that he could.

“But Coach!” He was almost whining, but he was desperate. “You told me I need to put in twice the effort. I have to practice.”

“Still, we can’t aggravate your arm more than it already has.” said Coach Williams firmly, pointing to his braced arm. “I trust that Seiji’s been working hard, trying to keep you from practicing despite every order?”

Nose turning pink, he replied, “He nagged me until I showed him your text.”

“Which you begged profusely for the entire evening.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures?” admitted Nicholas sheepishly, rubbing the shaved part of his head as he bowed his head so slightly.

“As I said, you definitely will need a lot of work.” Coach Williams sighed heavily, nostrils flaring as she pinched the skin between her brows. “I hear you, though, Nicholas.”

“So, let me practice.”

“Yes and no,” The coach folded her arms over her chest. “We need to make a few adjustments to this, that’s all. I can’t let you practice the arm extensions, though it’s a good thing I made you practice accuracy with the tennis ball last week.”

“Alright, so no tennis ball.” said Nicholas, nodding. 

Oddly enough, his mind visualised the way Seiji did not let go of his shoulders the entire time they repeated each jabbing motion. It reminded the brunet about the night prior, when he let other boy brace his elbow. He had a way of grasping not too tightly, but firm enough that it felt secure.  _ He _ felt secure.

“Nicholas, you may be injured but you need to pay attention!” barked Coach Williams.

“Gah! Yes Coach! M’sorry...” gasped the boy, jolting out of his thoughts.

The movement caused his left elbow to flare up, dull pain shooting up to his forearm. It was an ugly reminder to the brown-haired boy that he was, in fact, still very much injured. 

“As I was saying, we’re pausing on the arm technique for now. Once the week is over, we can definitely check in and see where you’re at.” continued the older lady, glaring at Nicholas to keep him in check. “However, the good thing about fencing is that it’s not just the arms. Today and Thursday’s early morning sessions this week will be all core and foot work.”

Perhaps he wasn’t a religious boy, still Nicholas found himself praising everything holy. He only 12-hours of not being allowed to fence, and it was already driving him mad. He had to fence, he  _ had _ to!

“Thank you, Coach Williams!” shouted the brunet, game face on.

“Alright. Now, get to warming up. You have a lot of work cut out for you for your lunges and jumps.”

“Yes, Coach!”

“Oh, and Nicholas?”

“Yes, Coach?” He had to stop himself before he jogged in place.

“I expect you to run a minimum of two-hundred suicides, Nicholas, for bothering me all morning.” She smirked. “Now, get back to warming up.”

Nicholas bit back a curse. “Okay, Coach!”

\---

When she instructed Seiji to be Nicholas’ sick buddy, what they both assumed was that it meant that Seiji just had to stop the rebellious boy from trying to practice. To both their horror, Coach Williams meant something a bit more close knit than that.

“A team request, Seiji, if you don’t mind,” said Coach Williams, not really asking. “But if you can help Nicholas here with not overusing his arms, that would be great for all of us to progress.”

It was some time past first period, the echoes of the morning class bell having left their mark seemingly ages ago. Vaguely wondering if their coach had secret powers that granted all fencing team kids a chance to skip class, Nicholas stood there, listening to the woman, beside his roommate.

“Overusing?” said Nicholas.

“Help?” asked Seiji, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Unfortunately, arms aren’t just for fencing.” said the fencing coach, almost too smoothly. “I’m not allowed to disclose his medical information, but Nicholas does need assistance to avoid hurting himself.”

“Then he just shouldn’t  _ go to practice.”  _ muttered the dark-haired boy, directing his glare at the brunet.

“Hey! I trained without my arms this entire morning.” growled Nicholas.

“I’m talking about school work. Writing notes, typing reports… Yes, Nicholas those things can also add to the stress of your arms.” The dark brown-haired woman waved an arm lazily at the boy’s gape. “While he can practice core, balance, and footwork for fencing, he can still delay healing from normal student work. I don’t know about you two, but losing our trump card reserve player might not win Kings Row any games, now, would it?”

That got both the boys’ attention immediately.

Rather smugly, she smiled. It drove Nicholas’ theory in deeper, that Coach Williams probably had way more authority than she let on. Anyone who could kick both his and Seiji Katayama’s ass into shape definitely had power, though she was incredibly smart about it.

“So what are you suggesting, Coach…?” asked Seiji, biting his lip in displeasure.

“I’m just suggesting that…”

And that was how Nicholas had the strange arrangement of having Seiji act as notetaker him for all their shared classes. He didn’t expect it to work, but somehow it did. Though it did raise a few teachers’ eyebrows, presenting a note by Dr Reyes and a note by Coach Williams did prove to be an effective combination.

_ No one likes a deadbeat _ , thought the boy, looking at his braced left arm. Considering he had raised himself for the past few years, Nicholas also couldn’t help but feel awkward about relying on Seiji for help. He didn’t want to be the edgy, too independent kid, but he really could do the work on his own.

With the loud drone of Mr Beauchamp’s voice, lecturing something about ancient Egyptians, Nicholas found his mind wandering. He looked out of the window, into the green grass of the school courtyard. If only his elbow didn’t hurt, maybe he could be be practicing his extensions and guards with the epee right now...

“WIll you pay attention?” hissed the raven-haired boy in a low tone, during World History class.

His sharp voice highlighted the only real issue about the arrangement: Seiji.

Perfect, rigid, blunt-as-a-butter knife Seiji. The other boy definitely left that gym less than pleased, judging by the way his dark eyes brewed thunderstorms. Most likely, he was pissed about being held back from becoming ‘the best’ by being assigned babysitting duty. 

Honestly, the brunet couldn’t even blame Seiji for being irritated with the whole thing. It was an assignment by default since they were the only two freshmen on the team. Note-taking took a lot of work, that’s why Nicholas chose to do it sparingly, even when his left arm wasn’t busted. He called it energy efficiency, though Seiji argued it was “laziness”.

“I am!” insisted Nicholas in a loud whisper, coming out of his daydream to stare back at the intense gaze in his rival’s dark eyes.

“Last time I checked, Beauchamp wasn’t located outside the window.”

“Last time I checked, history began outside.”

“Last time I checked, history class is happening right now, and someone who gets a free pass at notes  _ isn’t _ listening.”

Irritated, Nicholas clenched his jaw. Couldn’t he catch a break? Ugh, Seiji was just too uptight!

“Well,  _ last time _ -”

“A- _ hem _ .” coughed Mr Beauchamp loudly, beady-little eyes hawking at the two boys. He was an older man with more salt than pepper hair, and a rather large nose that looked like a beak. “Mr Cox and Mr Katayama, did you have anything to share with the class?”

Nicholas blinked, a deer in the headlights. “Um…” 

“Mr. Beauchamp, sir,” said Seiji, coughing only slightly. “Nicholas was just asking me a question about the lesson.”

The brunet blinked. What did Seiji just say?

“The lesson.” repeated Mr. Beauchamp, smelling the utter bull that Seiji was spewing. “And what might that question be?”

“He asked about whether ancient Egyptians used close combat weaponry like swords.” replied Seiji calmly. Tracing a finger down his neatly written down notes, he added, “You did mention a lot about how their military used bows and arrows, and spears, but never swords. So, being a fellow avid fencer, Nicholas here was curious. I told him I didn't know and that he needed to ask you, since you're the history reacher.”

Nicholas blinked again, and then realized Seiji was glaring at him to  _ say something _ !

“O-Oh yeah,” stammered the teenager, as he made a fist with his left arm. It pulled at the sore muscles just enough to leave a bare trace of pain. “I guess, I was thinking about where in ancient history did swords, uh, blades, and thingies came to be…? Y’know, like in fencing.”

He gave his biggest smile at Seiji and then at Beauchamp. 

For a second, time stood still, as the World History teacher’s beady, almost-black eyes stared directly into their souls.

“That was,” said Beauchamp slowly. “An excellent question!”

Jaw on the floor, Nicholas could only stare. Time resumed as normal, and the sounds of boys whispering and pages flipping filled his ears again. As the rest of the class watched the older man waddle around the classroom, waving a finger in the air and talking about the evolution of weaponry in the ancient times, he could only look at the dark-haired boy.

Seiji had just lied the pants off Beauchamp. Even more impressively, he had made the old geezer smile. Mr Perfect Pants, who always kept his room neat, hair styled, and notes color coded, had saved him from detention. 

“Wow.” He all but whispered, gazing at his seatmate in disbelief. “You’re amazing, Seiji.”

“Shut it, Nicholas,” hissed Seiji back quietly. “We wouldn’t have gotten in trouble had you not been daydreaming.”

Nicholas couldn’t help but notice how pink the apples of Seiji’s cheeks got. He had to resist the urge to tease him, like the night he had given him the elbow brace. Once again, Mr. Uptight was acting so cold yet so sweet, like the ice cream sundaes he adored.

“Thanks, Seiji.”

\---

“Hey, Seiji.” asked Nicholas in a low tone. 

Huddled in a hidden corner, somewhere within the school library, with Seiji, the brunet sighed heavily. He felt the crisp feel of papers against his cheeks, as he slumped on the worn surface of tabletop. 

It was Wednesday, which marked two whole days of Nicholas unable to fence. Instead of spending his study hall period trying to find a way to practice his arm extensions, he was glued to Seiji’s side, writing up a short essay in Spanish.

“Ugh, Mz Zhang can be so evil.” groaned the boy, staring at the flurry of foreign words in front of him. It might as well have been math equations, for all he cared. “I have no idea what any of this means. Even with your notes.”

Seiji just rolled his eyes. “Well, if you were  _ paying _ attention, you’d get it better.”

“Okay, this time I was actually listening, but it got confusing.” huffed Nicholas, blowing one of his sheets of paper a few inches away. “Besides, my old school didn’t really have the same level of Spanish. It was all basic stuff.”

“Basic stuff.”

“ _ Si, senor. _ ”

Rolling his eyes, Seiji continued to type into his sleek, silver MacBook Air. 

He was a lucky kid, born into a family that could actually afford stuff like fencing lessons,laptops, and spare elbow braces. Actually, the majority of the Kings Row students were pretty lucky, having families that took care of the extra stuff, let alone their sons.

A few years back, Nicholas would’ve killed for it- a comfortable, if not rich, upbringing. Now, he looked at his peers and didn’t mind as much. They were rich kids, after all. They didn’t choose that life, per se, and it wasn’t their fault they didn’t know how to talk about finances with boys who didn’t have money. Still, they didn't try to rub it in. Seiji included.

“Besides,” added Nicholas offhandedly. “My old school doesn’t really have the charms of Kings Row. They were happy with Dora the Explorer level vocab. Classes here really look for that creme de la creme stuff.”

“ _ Crème de la crème _ ?” scoffed Seiji. 

Captivated, the brunet could only watch the words roll off the other boy’s tongue effortlessly, as he typed onto his computer. He recalled that the black-haired teenager had lived in France for a year. That explained the way he pronounced French in a… well, pretty way.

Seiji was just a pretty, rich kid, all the way down to the curl of his tongue when he spoke. 

“What are you staring at.”

“Oh, nothing.” sighed Nicholas, glancing at the borrowed black brace on his arm and then momentarily at the other boy. Seiji was peering at him with a strange expression on his face. “It must be nice to be a rich kid.”

Dark eyes widening, Seiji stared back at Nicholas. In fairness, the brunet was also surprised at his own words. He didn’t particularly enjoy talking about money. Fencing scholarships, yes, but not money. Why point out what he didn’t have?

“Rich kid.” echoed the Japanese boy. 

Yep. There it was, the awkward biting of the lip and furrowed brow- symptoms of a rich kid’s deep discomfort at being rich. Nicholas laughed at the sight. Man, Kings Row boys were all the same sometimes, even if they meant well.

“Uh-huh,” He said, rubbing against the fabric of the brace on his forearm. His elbow wasn’t too bad today, with all due credit going to Seiji for writing notes for him. “If you get injured, you can just afford the medical expenses right away.”

“I... Yeah.”

“Like, look at you, you can have the best fencing lessons, best coaches, and stuff.” added Nicholas, whistling a note slowly. “You can even speak French well because you actually  _ went to France _ . No wonder why your fencing is amazing.”

Again, Seiji wore that complicated emotion on his face. Nicholas couldn’t tell what it really was, but there was definitely a lot of coldness and discomfort there. If he dared say it, there was probably some sadness there, too.

“I suppose you’re right.” said Seiji, eyes hard. His gaze turned the brown-haired boy into a bullseye to aim at. “But I did work hard to earn my spot. I don’t really appreciate being dubbed a rich kid whose parents bought his role.”

“Hey!” exclaimed Nicholas, surprised at the sudden hostility. “I never said that.”

Seiji just kept typing, glaring at the screen of his computer. It made Nicholas want to throw hands. The boy could be so infuriating! Okay, maybe his words came off a little wrong, but he didn’t mean it.

“No, seriously. I didn’t mean to come across that way.”

_ Clickity-clack _ went the keyboard.

Feeling a twinge of annoyance and concern, Nicholas’ body reacted before his brain did, as per usual. Before he could think about what he was really doing, he reached out and attempted to grab Seiji on the elbow. He couldn’t really explain why he had to physically reach out. It was a desperate measure to thaw the cold shoulder he was being given.

He should have grabbed the dark-haired boy’s navy blue blazer. Instead, Seiji retracted his hand from the laptop, and Nicholas ended up with his hand wrapped over the other boy’s fist. 

They were holding hands. Oh my god, he was holding Seiji’s hand. Sort of?

“Let go.” said Seiji, frozen, staring aghast at the brunet’s grasp on his own hand. 

Under normal circumstances, the brunet would have just let him go. However, Nicholas Cox hated silent treatment and wouldn’t let it slide. Real friends wouldn’t just act frigid like that, no way in hell he would let that happen.

“I said I’m sorry, Seiji.” Nicholas stared at the other teenager, dead in the eye. “I really didn’t mean to imply that your accomplishments were based on your money. I’m just… jealous. It’s stupid, okay? I’d kill for the things you have.”

“It’s lonely.”

“What?”

“It’s,” muttered Seiji, grimacing slightly. His icy gaze was on Nicholas, but he knew the other boy’s thoughts were somewhere else. “Lonely. Paris was lonely. Whatever golden fantasy you have? Grass isn’t greener on the other side.”

“I…” trailed off Nicholas, his head tilting to one side. “I’m sure you had other fencers to talk to?”

He visualized a younger, probably more withdrawn Seiji, living in a fancy apartment in a big city. Even in Nicholas’ mind, the boy was alone. 

“They lacked technique or drive on the piste.”

“Well, with  _ that  _ attitude…” commented Nicholas, with an unsurprised shake of his head. “You need to stop treating people as opponents on the strip, Seiji. There are other people who want to be your friend, you know?”

Nostrils flaring out slightly, the black-haired teen looked away. Honestly, would it kill for him to let go of his seriousness and just be a normal teen sometimes? The brunet briefly wondered what Seiji looked like when he just smiled, no game-face on.

“Not everyone is like you.” muttered the dark-haired boy, after a while. A faint, pink blush crept over his pale face. “You’re stupidly friendly.”

“Even your compliments have to attack me, huh?”

“Well, what did you want me to say!?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Nicholas. “ _ Maybe ‘I accept your apology, Nicholas _ ’, or ‘ _ I promise to try being a nicer friend _ ’.”

Seiji’s eyes were practically burning into Nicholas. It made the injured boy wonder how much more intimidating fencing with Seiji would be if their masks allowed their faces to show through the mesh. The dark-haired teen would probably shoot lasers out of his eyes.

“Fine.” said the more serious boy. “But, you need to quit assuming that my skills come from my parents’ money.”

“Deal. Also, I really never meant to imply that.”

“Hello there, lovebirds.” oozed a baritone voice that both the boys were familiar with. “Making up for a lover’s quarrel now, are we?”

Waltzing over to the table, Aiden wore his signature smile that melted at least half the boys’ hearts in Kings Row. Only a few steps behind him, Harvard also walked towards them, waving his hand in greeting.

That was when Nicholas realized he was still holding Seiji’s fist. He pulled his hand away from the other boy’s, but the damage was already done. He could see the mischievous look in their upperclassman’s green eyes.

“Aiden, hi.” greeted the injured boy a little too quickly. “Hey, Harvard!”

“Hi guys!” responded their captain, smiling at them.

“Hey Nicholas,” The other senior’s grin grew wider as he looked at the injured boy and then at his companion. “Hey Seiji.”

If Seiji was a cat, Nicholas swore his black locks would be bristling up in agitation. He was already unapproachable on a good day, but he managed to become more aloof every time Aiden was around. Perhaps it was the loss during tryouts?

Then again, their senior had a way of pouring honey over barbed words. Nicholas wouldn’t have noticed had it not been for Tanner and Kally explaining it to him one practice. They also mentioned that he was lucky, since he had a way of tuning out the very words that broke many hearts in Kings Row.

Blank faced, Seiji just nodded at both upperclassmen. Nicholas couldn’t help but notice the way Seiji bit his inside of his bottom lip, ever so slightly, when he was feeling pressed. He did it a few times when their team went against the MLC fencing team. He also displayed the habit during their conversation with Coach Williams.

Apparently, Aiden also noticed this.

“You bite your lip when you’re upset, you know that?” commented the mocha-haired boy sweetly, as he and Harvard both took the seats on the opposite side of the table. “If you didn’t glare all the time, it’d be cute.”

“Don’t call me cute.” snapped Seiji. “Why are you guys here? We have work to do.”

“Quit it, Aiden.” interrupted Harvard, as Aiden was about to respond. He raised a thick eyebrow at his best friend in disapproval, and then turned to the two freshmen. “We just wanted to check in and make sure you two didn’t kill each other.”

“Holding hands.” snickered Aiden, in spite of his more mature companion’s frown. “How cute.”

“I-It’s not like that!” stammered Nicholas.

Feeling the heat rise to his face, the brunet turned to see Seiji, who had gone quiet. The other boy looked equally red.

“Aiden,” said Harvard, in a warning tone.

In response, the flirty senior simply winked, resting his head on his fist propped up on the tabletop. Shaking his head slowly, Harvard pinched the skin between his eyebrows in resignation towards his friend. 

Nicholas could only watch the two in mild amusement. They reminded him of a stereotypical old married couple one would see on television. Childhood sweethearts. Happily married, possibly with ten million adopted dogs. It was too bad Aiden slept around.

“I promise we didn’t come here to taunt you two.” said Harvard. “I’m glad to see you two are working well together.”

“Okay, the truth is Seiji’s doing all the work.” joked Nicholas, raising his left arm up. “Was tempted to sneak out and ditch homework for fencing practice. Sadly, he had to stop me in favor of writing Spanish essays.”

“Someone has to stop you from doing dumb things all the time.” huffed the black-haired boy, going back to typing more lines onto his laptop.

“Not  _ all  _ the time!”

“Bite me.”

“Lovers’ quarrel~!” interjected Aiden, ignoring the exasperated face on Harvard. “I mean, Second Place here does live with you for the most part, so he can attest to your dumb things. I’ve seen couples that spend less time together than you two.”

“Second Place?”

“We’re not a couple!”

Nicholas and Seiji were definitely ready to throw hands at this point. Though Nicholas had a feeling Aiden was aiming to piss off his friend more than him. The mocha-haired teen was enjoying the show that Seiji was giving.

“Aiden, I swear, stop trying to piss these two off!” said Harvard.

“I can’t help it! They’re just so fun to poke at.”

“Ugh, you’re so…” growled Seiji.

“Whoa you two,” said Harvard, placing a hand on the tabletop sternly. “Let’s just drop the subject, okay? We just came here to check in on both of you. Also, we wanted to ask if you guys were coming to group bonding night.”

That dissipated the tension in the air decently. Good old team captain, thought Nicholas, as he took a deep breath. Leave it to Harvard Lee to keep Aiden Kane from causing trouble.

“Group bonding night?” asked the dark-haired freshman.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah, I remember the others mentioning it last week.” Nicholas remembered Tanner talking about how they were planning this month’s team hangout. “It’s going to be this Saturday, right?”

“Yup!” confirmed Harvard. He turned to the more aloof freshman. “You should come, Seiji.”

Seiji bit his lip again. Glaring at Aiden, he said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“But we really want you there,” insisted the team captain. He clapped his friend hard on the back. “I promise to make sure Aiden doesn’t try to bother you, if it helps.”

“Truce,” added Aiden, smirking. “We call a truce on team bonding night.”

With narrowed eyes, Seiji shook his head. “I have good reason to distrust you.”

“We should go, Seiji.” blurted out Nicholas, suddenly.

All eyes on him, the brunet cringed at his own words, Firstly, he didn’t really know what he was saying until the words left his lips. He cursed at himself for his own impulsivity sometimes. Seiji really got him saying stupid shit a lot. Secondly, he said ‘we’, like they were a couple.

“We?” asked Seiji, dark eyes wide in shock. 

“Yeah, why not?” replied Nicholas bashfully, rubbing at the shaved part of his head. “Quality time with the bros?”

“Yeah! Crack a cold one open with the boys on a Saturday night. What Nick here said.” agreed Harvard, flashing them a thumbs up and winking. “Can’t get beer but we can sure sneak out and get soda if we go out fencing team style.”

Smirking again, Aiden just mimicked his friend and have a thumbs up. His green eyes regarded Seiji.

“Come on, Seiji.” He all but purred at the serious freshman. “You get to spend some quality time with the team. You have a heart somewhere deep down there.”

“Sure. I don’t care.” 

“Sure you care.” crooned the mocha-haired teenager. “If not about us, then about a certain someone you don’t want to share, hm?”

“Okay, I’m done.” said the black-haired freshman. “See you later. Don’t hurt your arm.”

“Seiji-!” cries the other freshman.

Getting up from his chair, Seiji slammed his laptop shut. While his face only looked mildly irritated at best, Nicholas knew Aiden struck a nerve- whatever that was. Before the other three seated at the table could even utter another word, the boy silently stormed off. 

“You had one job, Aiden.” chided Harvard.

“Hey, it’s not my fault he can’t take a joke.” grumbled Aiden.

Nicholas watched his two upperclassmen argue a little. However, his mind could only focus on what had happened. Sure, Aiden taunting Seiji was a common occurrence, in the rare occasion that Aiden actually showed up to practice. Yet, Seiji acted so oddly. He was put together and perfectionism all the time, unless he was upset.

_ Someone you don’t want to share _ . Nicholas wondered if Aiden was referring to himself.

Immediately, Nicholas dismissed the notion. Why would Seiji want to keep him all to himself? It’s not like they didn’t spend nearly all of their time together, anyhow. The situation merely called the serious boy for babysitting duty. It didn’t mean anything...right?

“Sorry; I need to go.” said the injured boy, standing up. “I, uh, want to check on Seiji.”

“Oh yeah. Go ahead. We’re not stopping you.” said Harvard, raising his dark-brown hand in farewell.

“Good luck, Nick!” said Aiden in a sing-song voice. 

His green eyes pierced through Nicholas in a knowing way. It made the freshman wonder about his complicated friend. Seiji was a rich boy who gave his all in the salle, spoke fancy languages, and apparently had someone who he didn’t want to share with the rest of them.

It made no sense. Sure, Seiji was emotionally distanced from the world and blunt as heck, but selfish? Selfish boys didn’t share their equipment and take notes and save troublemakers from boring professors. 

No. As he chased after his annoyed roommate, Nicholas decided that Seiji was a lot of things but he wasn’t selfish. He’d just ask the other boy what Aiden meant. Maybe they could figure out a way to remove the sting from whatever insult Seiji was feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aiden isnt necessarily mean to Seiji, compared to "all-knowing" when it comes to emotional intelligence. Of course, Harvard is still annoyed at his best friend's shit.
> 
> Also, I do plan on updating more! Unlike Nicholas, my injuries don't just magically heal in a week and I don't have someone to help me recover, so it'll definitely take way longer than usual.
> 
> Thank you for supporting, and please feel free to leave a kudos and/or comment ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicholas reflects on his feelings about his injury... and maybe a little bit about Seiji

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm alive. Life punched me in the face. But, here's a new chapter!
> 
> Please note that this is canon-divergent from Striking Distance, as I wrote out this story prior SD being released. Not to say I didn't enjoy parts of SD, but this fic isn't really following what happened there.

There was an ugly, brutal truth Nicholas learned ever since he developed fencer’s elbow. It wasn’t the searing pain on his elbow and forearm that changed everything. Though, it did make the everyday important things, like fencing or grabbing the last chocolate milk before Eugene did at the cafeteria, annoyingly difficult.

It was like the whole world came to a screeching halt.

The brunet went from devoting pretty much every waking moment to fencing practice, to, well, thinking about fencing at most. Filled with envy, Nicholas could only watch as his friends and teammates used their working, pain-free arms to have practice matches. He felt his own left arm almost itch with the burning need to just stab someone, ala fencing style.

Unable to actually practice , Nicholas was left thinking, who was he? What was the point to anything if he couldn’t do the very thing that inspired him to push through every obstacle? Quite frankly, being injured sucked.

However, the worst part of it all was getting people to  _ really  _ understand how he felt about the entire injury situation.

“Think of it as a chance to rest, maybe?” suggested Bobby, once..

“It's only a week, cheer up, my guy!” joked Eugene.

“Let us know if you need anything,” clucked Kally, ever the mother hen.

“Mad case of FOMO, dude.” added Tanner.

Of course, Nicholas got the fact that his friends weren’t trying to be condescending or dismissive of his feelings. Considering the teenager withstood many struggles alone, he was grateful to his friends for showing him the bright side of things, and checking in on him constantly.

Heck, Bobby and Dante let the brunet mope in their shared room for hours, during the first evening he had to sit through practice without actually practicing. Dante had huffed in a disgruntled,  _ why-are-you-still-here _ way, but offered Nicholas some marshmallows for his sorrows.

Still, there was a lot of frustration. Nicholas hated feeling helpless, that stuck-in-thick-mud feeling that settled in his stomach when he watched Coach Williams barked about arm positioning to everyone but him. 

Even more than that, he really hated feeling uncertain. Fencing was one of the only things he was actually good at. It didn’t help that it was common knowledge that he lacked the training background to even be considered good at fencing. With the week cutting into his practice, Nicholas was left uncertain about his own skills. 

Funny enough, if there was anyone who made Nicholas feel next to normal, it was Seiji.

His rival didn’t look at Nicholas with pitying eyes or try to comfort him with reassuring words. In fact, Nicholas could have found it funny if it wasn’t so bizarre, but for someone who was stuck babysitting an injured guy, Seiji didn’t really check in on him. At least, not in the way that their other teammates would.

“Try stretching like this,” said the raven-haired boy during practice the day before. He held out his right arm, palm outstretched, and pressing on his fingers with his left palm. “No- use your left arm, you know, the injured one- yes. That’s it. It’s a good stretch for your arms, even if you don’t have an RSI. Stretching and strengthening more often can really improve your mobility, so you’ll be able to use offense better.”

Hissing slightly at the sting of his left arm, Nicholas followed his rival and friend’s arm care advice.

That was the thing about his roommate. As socially oblivious and curt as he was, Seiji would also write him notes and let him borrow an elbow brace. He’d complain that Nicholas wasn’t paying attention in class, but also bailed him out.

This was the same Seiji that the rest of Kings Row called arrogant and untouchable, and who Aiden dubbed as ‘selfish’, not wanting to share someone. 

Outside of the fencing salle, Nicholas couldn’t understand the dark-haired teen’s thought process. But, he knew enough that Seiji was a good guy, underneath all the ice. That thought was enough for Nicholas to chase after an upset Seiji.

“Seiji, wait!” yelled Nicholas.

In real time, he found himself bursting out of the library, grinning awkwardly as the older librarian glared at his noisy departure.

The other boy just kept walking. The sight of the raven-haired boy a few feet ahead of him annoyed Nicholas, prompting him to sprint. Instinctively extending out his left arm, Nicholas ignored the pain that shot up as he grabbed Seiji by the elbow.

“Seiji!”

Glaring daggers at the brunet, Seiji snapped back.

“What?”

“Why are you so upset?”

“W-What?” spluttered the Japanese-American teen. “I’m not upset!”

“Are you kidding me? You just walked out on us!”

Us. Nicholas tried not to cringe visibly at saying the word. God, after being teammates with Aiden, there were some words that forever carried romantic connotations. Their senior knew how to play words like he did with boys’ hearts.

“Aiden was irritating,” said Seiji, voice clipped. His words were as uptight as he was. It was like watching someone retreat back into a cramped box. “I just decided to leave instead of respond to him.”

“Don’t mind Aiden, man. You know you shouldn’t pay any attention to what he says,” said the injured boy, releasing Seiji’s shoulder. “He likes saying things to catch you off guard. Stalking off just reminds him he can bother you.”

Was this even real right now? He, Nicholas Cox, was lecturing Seiji Katayama over keeping his composure? 

Seiji narrowed his eyes at Nicholas, but said nothing. Again, he was biting his lip. Nicholas wondered what the other boy was so upset about. Why would Seiji be so hot and bothered by Aiden teasing him over someone he didn't want to share?

“Is it because he called you selfish?” asked Nicholas directly.

Judging by the way the raven-haired boy stiffened up, Nicholas knew he hit a nerve. Maybe it was a stupid rich kid thing, to hate being called selfish, even indirectly so. He wasn’t too sure, and a part of him wanted to ask.

Curiosity got the better of him, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Seiji interrupted his thoughts.

“It’s nothing you should worry about,” said Seiji, suddenly. “As you said, Aiden likes saying things to annoy me.”

“Seiji…”

However, the other teen didn’t want to talk about it, so they didn’t. He looked at Nicholas, eyes back to his usual stern gaze.

“I’ll see you back at our room,” said Seiji. “Text me if you’re going to work on your notes.”

Turning his heel, his roommate left him, alone, in the clean, polished hallways of Kings Row. Other students, watching the scene from the background, began to snicker and murmur at each other, no doubt making comments about the weird scholarship boy and his snooty prodigy friend.

However, amidst the noise, Nicholas could only hear the rather quickened thud-thudding of his heart, the one thing that managed to hurt more than his left elbow.

\---

Hours blended together, and Wednesday melted into Thursday evening. 

Practice went on as usual, but with surprising improvements from Eugene’s side. The sophomore landed a really impressive parry and managed to land a quick hit to Harvard’s unguarded hand.

Even Seiji found it impressive. It definitely got the team hyped up to focus on sparring on the piste.

Despite the chatter of excitement from his peers and the strict instructions from Coach Williams, Nicholas could only focus on the gentle pressure that came from the black band squeezing at the muscle just above his elbow.

_ Could this week be any slower?  _ He thought, frustrated.

Incredibly sore from a lengthy core training session, Nicholas lay down on his bed, midriff exposed. He couldn’t even be bothered pulling down his black tank top over his stomach, much less the rest of the blanket over his body.

“You’ll catch a cold,” commented Seiji, brusque voice followed by the dull thud of their dorm room being shut., 

“Says who?” groaned out Nicholas. He opened one eye to see the other boy’s nose wrinkling at the sight of him.

“I mean, you are sleeping with your navel exposed.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rather puzzled, Nicholas turned his head at the other boy, who disappeared into his side of the room, behind the blue shower curtain. For a moment, he listened to the sound of a gym bag opening up and the soft rustle of items being moved around.

“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep with your navel exposed.” said Seiji. Nicholas could hear confusion leak into the other boy’s usually confident words of advice. “Didn’t your parents ever tell you about that?”

“Uh… no?”

“Huh.”

“Maybe it’s an Asian thing?”

“Oh. I guess.”

Awkward silence filled the corners of the room where the sounds of things being sorted out couldn’t fill. Seiji was the kind of person to always prepare all his school things in advance, instead of being a normal teenage kid and leaving things to the last second. They had debated over it once, but it ended with Seiji calling Nicholas a procrastinator and Nicholas calling Seiji a robot.

You know. Fun times. Nicholas didn’t mind it all that much.

The boy’s mind wandered back to the events of the day before. He thought about the way he enjoyed his conversation with Seiji, even though they both got irritated with each other halfway though. Then, he thought about the Seiji overreacting towards the team hangout and then Aiden’s weird teasing.

‘ _ I’ve seen couples that spend less time together than you two _ ’. 

The more troublesome upperclassman’s voice echoed in Nicholas’ head, along with the sight of Seiji looking upset. The event shouldn’t have bothered the brunet, but it did, and he couldn’t explain why.

“Hey, Seiji?” asked Nicholas, voice piercing the quiet.

“What?”

“Why don’t you want to come to the team bonding this Saturday?”

Honestly, there were other, more direct questions about that day that the brunet wanted to ask. He wanted to know what Aiden referred to when he teased Seiji or why it bothered him to even be called selfish. However after spending time with Seiji off the piste, Nicholas eventually understood that being blunt with emotional things caused the other boy to either attack you or give you the cold shoulder.

So, he waited as patiently as he could for an answer.

“I don’t like parties, Nicholas.” was Seiji’s eventual response.

“Well, it’s not really a party,” argued Nicholas. With a slight groan, he forced himself to sit up despite the cry of his overworked abs and thigh muscles. “Not a big one, anyways. It’s our team bonding!”

“I heard. I was present at the time.”

“Ughh. You’re hopeless.”

Nicholas gave a deadpan face towards a rubber duck print on the blue shower curtain, pretending that Seiji could see his face. Man, his friend could be so cut and dry. Would it kill him to have a little fun?

“Why do you even want me to come, Nicholas?” asked Seiji, words so succinct you could almost feel how taut each syllable came off. “I don’t like people, and for the most part, people don’t like me.

“You’re part of the team! We’re all bros now.” sighed the brunet exasperatedly. “It wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t go.”

“I’m part of the team to fence. To win. Not to go to silly parties and ‘be bros’.”

Groaning, the brunet flopped back into bed, the back of his head hitting the soft white pillow with a dull  _ thump _ . He didn’t know what he was expecting! Of course Seiji was just part of the team to fence and to win.

“Ugh, Seiji, you’re so…”

More often than not, the injured teen wanted to go over to the other boy’s side of the room to shove him, but today was really pushing it. Seiji was a brutal reminder of the life Nicholas could only dream of- having a rich family, high-quality training, superb fencing talent, and a team to count on. 

Not only that, but he also didn’t have busted arms that could affect his sporting life.

He sighed.

“I’m so what?” asked a terse voice from behind the curtain.

“...lucky.”

A pause followed.

“Lucky?” asked Seiji, searching for confirmation.

“Well, yeah.” exhaled Nicholas, turning his head to the right as he thought about his stupid injury. He stared at the obnoxiously happy yellow ducks on the blue curtain that drew a boundary between them. 

Sometimes, he wanted to tear that line apart for shits and giggles, but lately the urge to do so was coming from a place that wasn’t to prank his roommate. 

“How is wanting to win and not wanting to be bros lucky?” Confusion ebbed into the other boy’s tone. “It’s a lot of hard work and practice.”

“And not being injured.” 

“You’ll get better eventually.”

“Will I?”

Once again, awkward silence permeated the room, save for the soft sounds of breathing between them. 

Using his right thumb and forefinger, Nicholas gingerly squeezed the sides of his elbow, corners of his mouth tugging down slightly at the feeling of soreness. The injury scared him a little. What if it didn’t get better? Seven days was a long time, with competitions coming up and significant catching up to do.

He wanted to scream. Loudly.

Suddenly, the brunet heard a scoff from the other side of the bedroom. For a moment, he was ready to hop off the mattress and drop kick the smug bastard-

“You’re worried that you won’t be able to fence again.” said Seiji. “Is that right?”

“Uh,” replied Nicholas, blinking slowly. “Yeah.”

“That’s… pretty terrifying.”

“It is.”

Whomp. There it was. The truth had come out in all its unabashed, ugly glory, rearing its head, razor-sharp teeth gleaming. Behind all the complaining to his friends about the temporary stop to his practice was the bigger worry- that he wouldn’t be able to fence ever again. 

And his chance to prove to everyone, most especially Robert Coste, as someone worth remembering? Down the drain. If his stupid arm wouldn’t get it together.

As thoughts churned in his mind, Nicholas couldn’t control the grimace contorting his features.

What was he going to do, if he couldn’t fence anymore? Or got left behind from the time taken away from him, even? Opportunities didn’t just grow on trees, especially not for odd, troublemaker poor kids like him.

“I think you’re overthinking it.”

“What?”

Nicholas Cox? Overthinking? Had Seiji been paying attention for the past few months of living with him? He barely had a whole brain cell to finish essays for History class. No, he wasn’t overthinking it. Maybe over _ reacting _ , but not overthinking.

“Both. You’re overreacting and overthinking.” remarked Seiji.

“Hey!”  _ Snap _ . Nicholas said it out loud. 

“- you haven’t broken any bones or torn any ligaments.” continued the fencing prodigy. “If the doctor told you you only needed a week off, then you only need a week off. I doubt she would lie to you if the truth was worse than that.”

The injured boy paused. There was definitely a lot of sense in what Seiji was saying.

“Okay, but…” He trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts from the panicky whispering and noise that grew in his brain. “I’m on a fencing scholarship, and it’s as you say- and never fail to remind me- I lack the proper form and background. I’m not on your level, and it’s almost insulting how I hurt myself when I’m about to go about and  _ change  _ this.”

“I know you think I’m not good at fencing,” continued the teenager, allowing the words to rush out of him. “The same way I know people here don’t think I’m much of anything. But, I swear, once my arm cuts the crap, I’m back to being your rival. I’m going to  _ win _ that gold. Watch.”

Chest heaving from the onslaught of words, he slowly realised he was probably more upset than he thought. 

Briefly, he thought about his father, with a gold medal shining bright against the pristine white of his fencing uniform. The father who didn’t know he existed, and probably wouldn’t want to, if he couldn’t be something great.

“Nicholas.”

The seriousness of Seiji’s voice stopped the continuous train of thought running in the brunet’s mind. Usually, the injured boy would let whatever blunt comment in one ear and out the other, but lately his roommate has been forcing him to focus more. Nicholas could only swallow, heart pounding in his chest, turning his attention to the other side of the room.

“Seiji?” He asked. 

He heard his roommate let out a short huff, as if calculating the formula of what exactly to say.

“You…” A pause, then a slow, almost tired sigh. “You’re not my rival.”

More surprised at the slight pang of hurt that flashed through his chest than the typical remark of his roommate, the brunet found himself sighing annoyedly. He shut his eyes and imagined landing a parry on Seiji, unable to keep up with his speed. Of course Seiji would say that. Who else would be so callous?

“Not yet, anyways.”

Wait… huh?

Before Nicholas could open up his mouth to speak, Seiji began to speak.

“You really aren’t good at technique or form, but keep working on it.” said the teenager, words coming out rather strangely, as if being forced through gritted teeth. “Yes, you’re injured now, but you won’t always be. Just… Ugh. What I’m saying, I mean,- uh- I’m watching, okay!”

Mouth agape at Seiji’s outburst, Nicholas could only hear the thrum of his heartbeat and the sound of Seiji’s heavy breathing from the other side of the curtain.

“I’m saying, keep up, Nicholas. I’m not going to let you win, just like that.” said the fencing prodigy on the other side of the room. 

Nicholas couldn’t believe what he had heard. Did Seiji just acknowledge him as an equal? Almost equal, considering it was Seiji? Sort of?

Why did he sound almost… shy?

Unable to restrain himself, Nicholas reached out with his good arm, and parted the edge of the blue curtain. There, on the other side of the bed, he saw Seiji, his normally pale face flushed bright pink from his words. 

The sight causes Nicholas’ own face to heat up. And his heart- what, did Eugene slip some Monster Energy in the protein shake- wouldn’t stop pulling a  _ Sonic the Hedgehog _ at the rate it fluttered against his ribcage.

Yes, Seiji Katayama could be so damn hurtful and callous, but in that moment, Nicholas was reminded why he wanted to befriend him eventually. Though Seiji was blunt and matter-of-fact, he did care, and he was a true teammate and friend.

_ You’re not a bad person, but you def need to go out more _ , thought Nicholas, attempting to make sense of the many different thoughts running around in his head.  _ You need to come to the team bonding! We could go hang out and have fun. Maybe get ice cream? The team will see you’re a good person deep down. _

Instead, what escaped the brunet was, “We should go out for ice cream!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will also not lie to you-- I admit I almost didn't want to finish this fic. I was lost for the past few months on how this story would go, and the frustrations Nicholas were feeling are reflective of my own injury. It was beginning to feel irritating to write it out, and I already have a lot of things frustrating me in my personal life.
> 
> However, I'm almost done with the story and I love the Fence fandom enough to finish it. I'm sorry, I just can't make promises as to when the next update will be, but I do intend to write out that last chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: 
> 
> 1.) Mik-Mik is a chocolate powder that you eat straight up! It wasn't my favorite snack growing up, but definitely its a snack Filipino kids would know. I headcanon Eugene immigrated to the USA when he was a kid, so probably still remembers some of his life back in the Philippines.  
> 2.) The "brown sugary fruit candy" I was referencing is called sampaloc candy or Tamarind candy! It's an acquired taste to my non-Asian friends 
> 
> \--
> 
> Did you know kudos and comments help speed up injury healing? <3
> 
> Just kidding! Please feel free to leave kudos and comment if you enjoyed the work!


End file.
